Coconut Macaroon Brownies

This one is for my girl Emily, or "Work Emily" as I refer to her when I mention her to my husband, because I know quite a few Emilys.  She's leaving the office to start a new adventure in another department and I wanted to give her a sweet send off.  We share a love for all things coconut and have in-depth discussions about macaroons, so I thought it might be yummy to marry the flavors of a macaroon with a brownie.  The base of this is a brownie (I happened to use a box mix because I was short on time - you can use whatever mix you like, or make yours from scratch) topped with a layer of coconut cream cheese.  It was definitely rich, and I thought the cream cheese layer could have maybe used a little coconut extract for a boost of flavor, but all in all I thought it turned out pretty darn good!  Farewell Work Emily, lots of luck to you!  :)

COCONUT MACAROON BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:
For brownie layer:
1 box Ghirardelli Double Chocolate brownie mix
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 egg

For coconut layer:
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
12 oz sweetened flaked coconut, 1/4 cup reserved for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl combine brownie mix, water, oil and eggs.  Stir until just combined.  Spoon into baking dish and spread evenly across the bottom.

3. In a large bowl beat cream cheese and sugar with a hand held mixer until fluffy and well combined.  Add eggs one at a time, beating between additions.  Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.  Place in large dollops as evenly as possible on top of brownie layer.  Spread carefully with a knife until coconut layer is even and covers brownie layer.  Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup reserved coconut flakes.

3.  Bake until coconut layer has set and top is just starting to brown, about 45 minutes.  Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

Impulse items at the store (you know that odd assortment of goodies that line the checkout stands?) don't usually get to me. But I was doing some grocery shopping and they had these packages of Better Crocker cookie mixes as their item of the week at Albertsons - just add water and a little oil and bake, for a $1 each! I figured I'd give them a try, it might be nice to have on hand during a cookie emergency, so I bought a couple peanut butter cookie mixes. I got home and thought, "Well I can't just make cookies with these, what else can I do?" and decided to use them in a brownie recipe. This is my current favorite brownie recipe (rich, fudgey, deep chocolate flavor) on a smaller scale to fit an 8x8" pan, with big swirls of peanut butter cookie dough throughout. I added a little extra peanut butter to the cookie dough mix after I tasted a bit before baking and thought they weren't peanut butter-y enough. These are amazing - Jeremy was supposed to take them to work and promptly declared they would be going NOWHERE, and he planned to spend the next two and a half days eating them (I'm not sure how he calculated that timeframe, but he seemed very scientific about it). I literally had to hide these from myself (yes, I know where they are since I hid them, but having them out of sight is a good thing). They're very decadent, rich, and downright evil. Definitely do not overbake - I started checking them around 30 minutes and guesstimated on the overall cooking time. It's better to have them gooey and falling apart than overbaked, but isn't that true with most things? :)

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:
For brownies:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2oz semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped

For peanut butter cookie dough swirl:
1 (8.6oz) package Betty Crocker Peanut butter cookie mix (snack size pouch)
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons peanut butter


DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 8x8" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa and beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat until just combined. Fold in chopped chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. In a medium bowl beat together cookie dough mix, water and oil until combined. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Drop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough mix onto brownie batter. Run a knife through both mixtures to slightly swirl.

4. Bake until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean - about 40 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars and serving.

Peanut Butter Bliss Bars

I was in the mood to bake something, and found a random can of sweetened condensed milk in our pantry. I had seen a post for peanut butter bars on BakingBlonde's blog that used sweetened condensed milk, and since I pretty much had the rest of the ingredients already (except the peanut butter cups, although given Jeremy's love for peanut butter cups I'm surprised we didn't have those on hand as well) I decided to give it a try. I looked around online at different peanut butter bar recipes and came up with this, a combination of this recipe from About.com and the recipe from BakingBlonde's blog.

These were good, very gooey and sweet. I cut them into small squares, left a few for the hubby and am taking the rest to work - they're too dangerous to keep at home. They reminded me a lot of a 7 Layer Bar. I actually think they could have used a little more texture to them - maybe some coconut, or chopped peanuts for a little crunch. They're so gooey they can be a bit hard to eat so I'll probably chill them before serving - I had a hard time getting a nice bar cut for a picture. These were yummy though, and lots of potential for different mix-ins!

PEANUT BUTTER BLISS BARS

INGREDIENTS:

1 (14 0z) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttered, softened

6 Reeses peanut butter cups, chopped

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter, stirring until smooth. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, oats, brown sugar and baking soda. Add butter and mix until combined - mixture will be crumbly. Pour half of the mixture into the baking pan, spreading evenly and patting down to form a crust.

4. Bake crust for 5 minutes and remove from oven. Pour peanut butter mixture evenly over crust. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture evenly over the top. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle peanut butter cups and chocolate chips over the top and bake an addition 5-7 minutes - do not overbake. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares - you may want to chill bars before cutting.

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl

I've been on a brownie kick lately. Nobody's complaining, least of all my husband (I think he got a little misty eyed when he got home and saw a big pan of gooey brownies waiting for him) and his co-workers, who get the benefit (curse?) of eating most of them. This recipe starts with a recipe for chocolate brownies from the Hershey's website, with a little added dark chocolate, swirled with a cheesecake mixture and raspberry preserves. Having made brownies from scratch a few times now, I have to admit homemade are better. These were REALLY good, probably some of the best brownies I've ever made. The brownie is dense but not heavy, super chocolately and rich, the cheesecake is smooth and creamy, and the fruity taste of the raspberry is a nice contrast to all the richness. Don't over do it when you're swirling the brownie and cheesecake together, you want thick swirls of cheesecake throughout the brownies. I'll definitely make these again, and maybe experiment with more "swirl ins"! :)

DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE SWIRL

INGREDIENTS:

For brownies:
1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 oz quality dark chocolate, finely chopped

For raspberry cheesecake swirl:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raspberry preserves, seedless

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa and beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat until just combined. Fold in dark chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. In a medium bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Drop heaping tablespoons of cheesecake mix into brownie batter. Drop heaping teaspoons of rasphberry preserves on top of cheesecake dollups. Run a knife through both mixtures to slightly swirl.

4. Bake 45 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Cool completely in pan before cutting into bars and serving.

Double Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

This recipe was adapted from BakingBlonde's cooking blog. It's a chocolate brownie swirled with a peanut butter cheesecake mix then topped with chopped peanut butter cups. In her version she makes the brownies from scratch, bless her heart, but with a 6-month-old I don't have the time or energy so I used a boxed mix. Her recipe is also for an 8x8 pan, mine is for a 9x13 so I've doubled the peanut butter swirl. Jeremy LOVES the peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's so we used those for topping, but Reese's would work just fine. These are crazy rich (I'm never one to say something is "too rich" but these are close) so I cut them into smaller squares than I normally would and sent them off with Jeremy to work. It got rave reviews! I'd recommend to make them a day before you plan to serve, it really enhances the flavor and texture.

DOUBLE PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE SWIRL BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:


For brownies:
1 box Duncan Hines Family Style Chewy Fudge brownies
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For peanut butter cheesecake swirl:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Peanut butter cups, chopped, for topping (about 2 cups)



DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. In a large bowl, stir together brownie mix, eggs, water and oil until just blended - do not overmix. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl beat together cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add egg and beat until just combined.

4. Spread about 2/3 of chocolate brownie batter into prepared pan. Evenly drop 1/2 of cheesecake batter in dollups over brownie batter. Run a knife through both mixtures to slightly swirl. Dollop remaining brownie batter and cheesecake batter over swirled mixture. Run knife through the brownie and cheesecake dollups (not all the way through the already swirled layer) to create a swirled pattern.

5. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, then sprinkle chopped peanut butter cups over top of brownies. Finish baking until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack before cutting and serving.

Peanut Butter Chip Brownies

It was a brownie kind of day today. Work was hectic, I'm starting to feel more whacky and uncomfortable as the baby grows, and the only thing I thought could help was chocolate. This is a recipe from Hershey for chocolate brownies with peanut butter chips. I've actually never made brownies from scratch before, I've always made them from a box mix but these turned out really well. They're very rich so a little goes a long way.

PEANUT BUTTER CHIP BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (10 oz) bag peanut butter chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in peanut butter chips. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan.

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center of batter comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

Krispy Chocolate Caramel Bars

Ahh, who doesn't love Rice Krispy treats? These are basically chocolate Rice Krispy treats on steroids - a chocolatey cereal layer topped with marshmallows, almonds, caramel and more chocolate! :)

KRISPY CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BARS

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons margarine
40 large marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
8 cups cocoa rice cereal
3 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup sliced almonds

Caramel ice cream topping, for drizzling
Milk chocolate chips, melted, for drizzling

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray two 12x8 disposible aluminum trays with nonstick cooking spray. In a large stockpot, melt margarine and 40 large marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Add vanilla extract and 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips - stir until chocolate is melted. Add cocoa rice cereal and stir until thoroughly coated. Divide mixture in half and spoon into prepared trays. Press evenly into pan (you may find it easier to use your hands - spray your fingertips with nonstick spray to prevent sticking).

2. Sprinkle mini marshmallows and sliced almonds evenly over cereal layers. Drizzle lightly with caramel topping, then drizzle with melted milk chocolate. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Hodge Podge Blondies

Blondies are kind of like brownies, only not chocolate. So I guess they're really not like brownies at all. Hmm... well, if nothing else I found that they're a great way to clean up your pantry. This recipe was adapted from BakingBlonde's basic blondie recipe - a very simple recipe (and I loved that it uses melted butter so you can make it right away and don't have to wait for the butter to soften like most recipes). I added a little baking powder to give it some lift, and stirred in basically just leftovers from my baking pantry - roughly a quarter cup each of semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee chips, walnuts and pecans. You can add any combo of your favorite baking goodies. I just slightly underbaked them for a soft gooey middle - fabulous served slightly warm with a glass of cold milk! :)

HODGE PODGE BLONDIES

INGREDIENTS:
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspooon salt
Additional mix-ins of your choice (chocolate chips, candies, nuts, etc.)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8x8 baking pan.

2. In a large bowl combine melted butter and brown sugar, beat until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Fold in any additional mix-ins and pour into baking pan - spread evenly.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set in the middle. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Candy Bar Brownies

Ahh, nothing like taking something that's already bad for you and making it even worse. This is just a plain boxed brownie mix jazzed up with some extra candy goodness. I've experimented with a few different types of candies and this combo is definitely my favorite.

CANDY BAR BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Duncan Hines Family Style Chewy Fudge brownies
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 personal bags M&M's plain milk chocolate candies
1 King Size Reeses Peanut Butter cups (4 pack), coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. In a large bowl, stir together brownie mix, eggs, water and oil until just blended - do not overmix. Fold in M&M's and chopped Reeses Peanut Butter cups.

3. Spread into baking pan and bake for 27-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool and cut into squares to serve.

Rocky Road Bars

Someone pointed out to me the other day that my blog is like 99% desserts. Guilty! When it comes to cooking I mostly enjoy making the cute stuff - desserts and appetizers. Plus I somehow got the role of "dessert maker" in my circle when we have potlucks and dinner parties, so it's what I tend to make the most. This is a pretty decadent bar recipe that I made for a get together with some friends. Girls + chocolate = happiness!

ROCKY ROAD BARS

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter
2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a 9 x 13 inch baking pan combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Mix together and press evenly onto bottom of the pan.

3. Layer coconut, walnuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows over crust. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over ingredients.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or marshmallows are golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle with the melted chocolate chips. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Apple Pie Cheesecake Squares

My husband usually has his friends over every Saturday morning for some guy bonding time. They say they're playing games, but I have a feeling they're just doing boy stuff like drinking lots of beer and worshiping Jessica Alba. It does however give me a captive audience to cook for so I'm not left with a kitchen full of sinful goodies to tempt me. For this dessert I took a basic recipe that had a layer of cream cheese baked in between layers of crescent roll dough and I tweaked it a bit, adding apple pie filling and a cinnamon sugar topping. You can use any kind of fruit filling - blueberry, cherry, peach, or even a layer of jam would be good.

APPLE PIE CHEESECAKE SQUARES

INGREDIENTS:

2 (8oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
8 oz light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (20oz) can apple pie filling

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Press one can of crescent roll dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg, vanilla and lemon juice until smooth. Spread evenly over crescent roll layer, stopping 1/2 inch from edges. Spoon apple pie filling over cream cheese layer. Unroll second can of crescent roll dough and and lay on top of of apple pie layer - pinch seams together but do not press down.

3. Brush the top layer of crescent dough with melted butter. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon - sprinkle evenly over the top of the butter layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is crisp and golden. Allow to cool before cutting into squares and serving - top with whipped cream and dust with cinnamon if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Blueberry Cobbler Bars

So, my husband is obsessed with blueberries. Seriously, it's fanatical. He's also really into peanut butter, so you'll probably find a lot of recipes involving blueberries and peanut butter on this blog, hopefully not at the same time. Although, one time we went to Coldstone Creamery and he had them mix blueberries and peanut butter into his ice cream - it was the first time I've seen one of the employees look surprised/slightly disturbed by a mix-in request. These bars are really yummy, and work well with frozen berries so it's easy to make even if fresh berries are out of season.

BLUEBERRY COBBLER BARS

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, coarsely chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup nuts (recommended - sliced almonds, pecans & walnuts)
1/2 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together white and brown sugars, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter, egg and vanilla. Dough will be crumbly. Pat 3/4 of dough into the prepared pan. Bake pan for 5 minutes and remove crust from oven.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust.

4. Mix nuts and 1/2 cup brown sugar with remaining dough. Crumble evenly over the berry layer.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.